Skald advice

[ekibus]

So finally dusting my skald off again (just hit level 4 last I played) He is a 1 lvl bloodrager/ 3 skald. I took the familiar valet from the bloodrager before I found out it didn't lvl with skald (hero lab issue) Not a huge deal, character walks around still with desert robes and the scorpion tends to stay in the folds of the robe Feat: Go unnoticed +19 stealth. Idea is since the familiar fills the conditions for amplified rage (via valet) I'm guaranteed the +8 str and con and the familiar stays safe. The issue is though, and I'm not sure if this is a PFS question or not but should I still tell the gm about the familiar or just go with it. I was also gonna take the rage power spirit totem but not sure if the +5 hit 1d4+2 is worth it, and then it adds in the fact that now the familiar will have the spirit around it too. So I'm not sure how to go about it and I play him tomorrow =/

[baggageboy]

You need to tell your GM, there are some things that could kill your unseen familiar and he may want to avoid those, or my chose to go after it. One example is a cleric channeling energy to harm.

[ekibus]

Anyway to bump up the familiar for hp or not without spending a bunch of feats?

[Firebug]

Despite all my rage, my bloodrager/skald went with a rat in a cage.
Your familiar has 1/2 your HP (regardless of your effective level), so... buff your own HP?

[ekibus]

Will the cage protect it and still give me the benefits?

[Firebug]

First, the "cage" (familiar satchel) provides total cover to your familiar. You might be able to argue that it is also Improved Cover, but your mileage will vary by GM.

Cover Rules wrote:

Total Cover: If you don’t have line of effect to your target (that is, you cannot draw any line from your square to your target’s square without crossing a solid barrier), he is considered to have total cover from you. You can’t make an attack against a target that has total cover.

Improved Cover: In some cases, such as attacking a target hiding behind an arrowslit, cover may provide a greater bonus to AC and Reflex saves. In such situations, the normal cover bonuses to AC and Reflex saves can be doubled (to +8 and +4, respectively). A creature with this improved cover effectively gains improved evasion against any attack to which the Reflex save bonus applies. Furthermore, improved cover provides a +10 bonus on Stealth checks.

Aiming a spell:

Target or Targets: Some spells have a target or targets. You cast these spells on creatures or objects, as defined by the spell itself. You must be able to see or touch the target, and you must specifically choose that target.

...
Ray: Some effects are rays. You aim a ray as if using a ranged weapon
...
A burst spell affects whatever it catches in its area, including creatures that you can’t see. It can’t affect creatures with total cover from its point of origin (in other words, its effects don’t extend around corners).
...
A spread spell extends out like a burst but can turn corners.

Basically, no one has line of effect to your familiar, but it can still hear you (allowing it to accept raging song). If worn, it is still adjacent so Amplified Rage still works (assuming sharing your space is considered adjacent, I know there was a thread on that a couple years ago).

If the familiar satchel is worn (and satchels are typically worn) it must either be directly targeted (sunder, shatter/etc) or you have to roll a 1 on a saving throw and the random item damaged is actually the familiar satchel.

Damaging worn items:

Items Surviving after a Saving Throw: Unless the descriptive text for the spell specif ies otherwise, all items carried or worn by a creature are assumed to survive a magical attack. If a creature rolls a natural 1 on its saving throw against the effect, however, an exposed item is harmed (if the attack can harm objects). Refer to Table 9–2: Items Affected by Magical Attacks. Determine which four objects carried or worn by the creature are most likely to be affected and roll randomly among them. The randomly determined item must make a saving throw against the attack form and take whatever damage the attack dealt. If the selected item is not carried or worn and is not magical, it does not get a saving throw. It simply is dealt the appropriate damage.
(summary of chart: most likely harmed in order) Shield; Armor; Magic helmet, hat, or headband; Item in hand (including weapon, wand, or the like); Magic cloak; Stowed or sheathed weapon; Magic bracers; Magic clothing; Magic jewelry (including rings); Anything else

Worst Case: roll a nat 1 on a save, then the spell has to be able to affect objects, then 1 in 4 chance of affecting the satchel, then the "armored case" actually being merely leather so at least 2 hardness, and finally objects take half damage from most elemental types.

Since the familiar satchel is not a magic item, you can wear multiple. So, throw on like 2-4 and with the stealth bonus of your familiar its very unlikely that sundering/specifically targeting your satchels will be effective since they will have to guess which one the familiar is even in.

[ekibus]

Thank you firebug that fixes my issue. What do you think of spirit totem? Just planned to use the first and stop. Thinking of rage cycle the party